Holder for electrically heated tools



A. H. SHANGLE HOLDER FOR ELECTRICALLY HEATED TooLs Aug. 1o, 1943,

Filed July l' 1942 BV A' H SHA/VGLE j @Qd/XM@ I TTORA/Ey ving copper holder disclosed Patented Aug. 10, 1943 HOLDER ELECTRICALLY HEATED TOOLS Amos H. Shanglc, Roselle, N. J., assigner to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Appli-cation July l, 1942, Seria-l No. 449,270

(ci. 21a-,23)

2 Claims.

This invention relates to holder devices used for receiving electrically heated tools such as soldering coppers and the like during so-'called idling periods.

It is an improvement over the electric solderin my Patent 2,174,236, issued 4September 26, i939. yIn that holdei` two concentrically disposed perforated metallic shellsy are disposed in concentric relation to each other, the inner shell serving for receiving the soldering copper and the outer disposed shell serving as aguard around the 'inner `shell which becomes heated as by'conduction and radiation from the soldering copper. The temperature of the soldering copper, due toits idling condition; has been found to rise considerably above that maintained during soldering operations, With the consequent oxidation of the copper Working surface and the necessity of retinning the latter, following each idling cycle. Furthermore, inY actual practice it has been found impractical to deenergize the heater element during its idling periodvdue to the lapse of time required for the soldering copper to reach a suiciently high degree of temperature to effect soldering connections'when rec'onnected to the current source.

The object of this invention is the provision of a soldering copper holder Which will be simple in construction, emcient in operation and in which the copper is maintained uniformly at any of a number of desired temperatures during idling period.

In accordance with this inventioma mounting in the form of a plate is provided for pivotally supporting at one end a, hollow metallic tubular member into which the copper is placed as during so-called idling periods, and heating means in the form of a resistance Wire, coiled on a sleeve of insulating material, mounted on the tubular member, is connected to the lead-in wires of the soldering copper to serve when energized to maintain the latter ata temperature substantially that required for effecting soldering operations, which temperature is controlled by a manually operable switching mechanism in the form of a knob rotating a pinion for moving a gear rack and thereby a wiper member in engageable relation with Contact points connected to the heating coil of the tubular heater member. Means in the form of Contact elements carried by the mounting plate cooperates with a contact element carried by the tubular heater member to forma stop for limiting the pivotal movement AUl ing to close such a contact to either connector disconnect the heating element oi the soldering copper from its direct energizing circait as eiected by the insertion or removal of the soldering copper from the tubular member as the case may be. The disconnecting of such circuit by .the opening o .the Contact elements as when placing the soldering copper into the tubular member is eiective to remove the shunt connection from the heater element of the tubular member to cause 'its maximum energization and thereby maintaining the soldering copper to any desired degree of temperature within the range of the manually adjustable switching mechanism.

Other novel features and advantages of the invention willappear from the following description and by the claims appended thereto, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in

which: l

Fig. ll is a side assembly view, partly in vertical section, shown with the tubular member in normal position;

Fig. 2 isanother side view shown with the soldering copper in position in the tubular member,

the casing which serves as a guard around the tubular member being shown in vertical section; Fig. 3 is a right-'hand view, partly in section; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic vievv` of the heater element on the tubular member showing the circuit connection of this-element with the energizing circuit of the soldering'copper.

In the soldering copper holder of this invention, a base in the 'form of 'a metallic supporting plate I!) is provided with bent portions such as II and I2, the portionl vI2 serving to engage the non-metallic handle ofthe copper as shown in Fig. 2, while the portion II cooperates with Aa plate I3 formed-With-hook members I4 and I5 for securing the holder to a ladder or to serve as standard when the holder is placed on a working bench.

On the metallic plate ID is mounted a hinge I6 to which the end wall of a metallic tubing I1 is secured, as by an eyelet I9, which also secures to this wall interiorly of tubing I'I a disc |81/ of insulating material such as asbestos to serve as a cushion for the working surface of the heat transferring element Ty. On metallic tubing l1 is mounted a sleeve 20 of heat resisting insulating material such as mica and lavite serving as a core for a heater element in the form of a resistance wire 2| coiled at the periphery of sleeve 20 and having a number of turns connected to of the latter under the tension of a spring servstuds 22, 23, 24 and 25 embedded in a straight row into the insulating sleeve 20 for contacting engagementV with a Wiper member 2B mounted on one end of a gear rack 21 slidably mounted in a T-shaped groove formed in an insulating Strip 28 securedto the under-side of mounting plate i as by a plurality of rivets 33 shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Y

The tubi-ng Il is normally held in position shown in Fig. 1 by a spring 3l locatedin a counter-sunk hole extending through the metallic plate `Il) and into the insulating. plate E8 with the upper disposed end of this spring bearing against a disc portion formed at the vfree end ofV the soldering copper at any desired temperature` kdepending uponv the adjustment of the Wiper 25 relative to contacts 22, 23, 213 and vZthus prey venting. the soldering copper from rising to a a'stud or co-ntact elements32 anchored into` thev f insulating sleeve 2B, this disc simultaneously engaging stop contact elements 33 and 34 insulatedly secured on the mounting plate ii! to serve with these stop elements a bridging contactthe function of which will behereinafter' described i-n detail and on the mounting plate i9 is secured, g

as 'by a number of screwsv 35 and 35 shownV in Figs. 1 and 2, a metallic shell 31 serving as'a 'guard against damage to the resistance wire 2l on the insulating sleeve 2i?. V

A wiper 2S in the switching mechanism used forv controlling the temperature of the soldering copper holder is moved in aoljusted position relative to contacts 22, 23, Eiland 25=by the rotation of a knob ESY'foractuating a shaftl and thereby a pinion 6d keyed to this shaft; bearings as 'G2 and 63 which are formed with the mounting plate lil as shown in Fig. 3 serve for supporting the shaft' Si In the operation of the heater eleinentof the holder of this invention in combination with the heater element of the soldering copper as shown in the diagrammatic View in Fig'.l 4 oneside of V'the energizing circuit of the soldering copper eX- tends from the terminal C of a plug 4U, the wire c 4|, one side of the block terminal 182,'the Wire 43, one side of the block terminal 44, the wire 45, the'heater element of the copper (not shown),

Y the return wire E6, theother side of block terminal 44, the closed bridge contact elements 32, 33, 34, the wire di', the other side of block 42, the wire, i8 and the'terminal Cl of plug d, the operating temperature ofthe Vsoldering copper in this circuit being substa-ntially 900 F., vwhile the small amount of current passing through the resistance wire 2i connected tothe terminal, el? f of block l2 is ineffective to raise the temperature of the holder to any appreciable degree.

Upon the placing -of the soldering copper into the tubing I7, the weight of the soldering copper causes the pivotal movement of this tubing on .the hinge I6 against the resistance of retractile spring 3l from the position shown in Fig@ 41Y to the position shown in Fig. 2l for opening the bridge .damaging temperature while maintaining it to a temperature slightly below that required for eflicient soldering operations.

What is claimed is:

1. In a holder for an electrically heated tool, an energizing circuit for the tool, a'supporting plate, a metallic tubing pivoted atone'end to said plate for receiving theelectrically heated tool, a sleeve of insulating material mounted on saidmetallic tubing, a heaterV element carried by said sleeve connected in'shunt to the energizing circuit of the tool, and having Contact points, an adjustable wiper for engaging said contact .points for controlling the operation ofV said heater element, a pair of contact elements insulatedly'mounted on said plate, a bridge piece carried by said sleeve, a spring disposed between said plate and .said bridge piece for engaging Vsaid bridge piece with said contact yelements simultaneouslyto close the energizing circuit of the tooland limiting the pivotal movement ofsaid tubing relativeV to said last-mentioned contact.

base'upon the removal of the tool therefrom.`

2. A holderforran electrically heated soldering copper, an energizing circuitk for said soldering copper, said holder comprisingv a mounting, a metallic tubing hinged at one end tc'saidmounting for receiving the ksoldering copper, a sleeve of insulating material itted over 'said'tubingy aV heater element coiled on said insulating Vsleeverand connected in shunt in the operatingv circuit of said soldering copper," a switching device having a Wiper land contacts connectedfto said heater elenient, a manually operable mechanism oiimoving said wiper in selective engagement with said contacts for controlling the temperature of the' soldering copper When placed into saidtubing anothercontact closed by the pivotal. movement of said tubing upon the removal of the, soldering copper'therefrom Yto'close the soldering copper energizing circuit and shunting said heater element and Aa retractile spring for effecting the pivotal movement of said tubing for closing the 

